Swine flu?
Whatever. Ways To Boost Immunity
And Avoid Illness.
According
to ayurveda, a person in good health won't be affected by even the most contagious
disease. Immunity is influenced by
one's ability to digest, assimilate and absorb nutrients thereby creating ojas (the
pure essence of all bodily tissues) that maintains strength and vitality.
Wrong diet,
out-of-balance doshas, fear, worry, stress and anxiety all inhibit immune-system functioning.
Diet, daily routine, herbs, meditation, breathwork and yoga
all offer immunity-boosting effects. Yoga, pranayama (breathwork) and meditation
help to build your sense of self or alignment with the Divine. When your sense of self is strong, your cells are better able
to differentiate "self" from "non-self" and remove that which is not serving you.
Strengthen
Your Digestion
* Fresh,
whole foods unaltered by processing wake up your body's natural intelligence and
convert quickly to ojas. Processed, canned, frozen or packaged foods are harder
to digest and thus create ama (toxic material) that impairs the intelligence of
your body. Include
fresh organic fruits, vegetables nuts, and beans in your diet. These provide you
with nutrients, antioxidants and fiber necessary for immune function.
* Certain
foods are considered ojas builders and, if they re appropriate for your constitution,
you should add them to your diet. These
foods are: organic milk, ghee (clarified butter), honey, dates, basmati rice and soaked/peeled
almonds.
Soaked and
peeled almonds are good for everyone and very easy to prepare. Buy some raw almonds (organic, if possible)
and put them in a bowl or glass filled with water and place them in the refrigerator
overnight. In the morning, or whenever
you intend to eat them, peel them and eat them on their own or pop them in the blender
with dates, milk, a pinch of sugar and a pinch of cardamom. Eat 10 soaked/peeled almonds a day during
flu season.
* Chyavanprash
is a nutritive jam that ayurveda recommends for bolstering immunity and rejuvenation. Eat a teaspoon or two a day on toast, on its own or stirred into warm milk.
Here are links to two good chyavanprashes:
Banyan Botanicals Chyavanprash and Shakti Prana, made by Dr, Lad's wife, Usha.
* Sip hot
water or ginger tea throughout the day to boost digestive strength. If you are pitta predominant or your pitta
is elevated, or (in English) you tend to be hot all the time, hold off on this until
the weather gets cooler. Avoid
cold or iced beverages.
* Limit
sugar consumption. SImple sugars impair
white-blood-cell activity which can lead to a depressed immune system.
* Limit
alcohol. Alcohol can impair white-blood-cell mobility.
* Cook with
immune-boosting spices such as turmeric, cumin, black pepper, ginger, cardamom,
fennel, coriander and cinnamon. Agni Churna is a blend of spices that can be taken alone or added to food to increase
digestive fire and immunity.
Take Herbs
Such ayurvedic
herbs as kalmegh, guduchi, ashwagandha and shatavari as well as western herbs like echinacea, osha and Oregon grape
root can help boost your natural defense system but should not be taken without
the advice of a professional.
Here
are a few herbal suggestions that you can do on your own:
* Take triphala
nightly to keep your GI tract toned, free of toxins and in good working order.
* Drink tulsi
tea. It's delicious, stress reducing
and immunity building. My favorite
brand is Organic India. You can find
it at Whole Foods or on their site.
* Take Wellness Formula daily or when you feel illness coming.
Start Meditating Already
Establish a regular habit of sitting in a special, quiet place each day. Meditating
for short periods each day can greatly reduce anxiety and stress, improve your quality
of life and boost immune function.
Breathe!
Pranayama
(yogic breathwork) is an excellent way to revitalize prana (life force) within the
body. Pranayama cleanses and
strengthens the physical body while calming and clearing the mind. It's the perfect prelude to meditation. There are many forms of pranayama but alternate-nostril breathing is suitable for everyone. Book an appointment with me for pranayama instruction.
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TEJAS YOGA CHICAGO
Many, if not all, of you have heard me mention my yoga teachers and dear friends, James Tennant and Jim Bennitt. They're opening a yoga studio this month in the South Loop at 1133 South Wabash. The party will be in late October. I'm an investor so I expect to see you there.
It's pronounced TAY-juss, not TAY-haas, OK? Tejas is the Sanskrit word for the fire of transformation.
Please visit their site and sign up for the newsletter. They also have a Facebook page and are on Twitter (something I'll never understand). The t-shirts are way cute and you'll need one or two of them.
If they let me, I hope to teach Conscious Relaxation and maybe even sell some of my products there so please check their schedule!
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Upcoming Events
CONCIOUS RELAXATION: Serenity Now!
The
ancient yogis developed conscious relaxation (yoga nidra in Sanskrit) as a
method of achieving deep and complete relaxation of the body and mind. During this session, all you'll need to do is wear
comfortable clothing, lie down, be at ease and listen as I guide you
through systematic relaxation and visualization techniques.
Sunday, October 26, 2009
1p.m. to 2 p.m.
$20 Gilda's Club Chicago
Wednesday, October 6, 2009*
6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, October 13, 2009*
6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
*One of these sessions, I'm not sure which one yet, will be an "Intro To Ayurveda: What's A Dosha Anyway?" lecture.
Gilda's Club activities are free of charge to anyone who is living with or has been touched by cancer. You don't need to be a member...just show up!
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